Telephone metering system.



C. V. RICHEY.

' TELEPHONE METERING SYSTEM. APPLICATION FILED xuun, 1914. RENEWED 0m. 2. 1917.

Patented May 21, 1918.

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Specification of LettersiPatent;

Patented ltlay Application filedqlulyil, .1914, Seria1-No. 850 4.86. .Itenewed October 2, 1917. SeriaINo. 194,415.

To aZLwhomit-may. concern:

Be itxknown; that -11, .CHARLES VQRIG E trolirapparatus ofxtheitype disclosed in my.

prior v l atents No. .1,Q37,05.3 of ,August :27,

1912, no; 1,063,599, :June 3,;l913,"and-No.

1,067,274,July. 15,1 1913. The present system is an improvement. overthexformer systems in a number of respectsf particularly from the standpoints of simpliclty. 10f construction, and increased efficiency. ofwoperation.

. -The: system ofurmyjprior patent's aforesaid, comprises comhination withl the usualsubstationi-circuits, a register, nieansi. for actuating the, register: responsive to current ofa special character" from. the central station,

' 5alock an'd key'oontrol devicecontrolling the talkingcircuit and operable at the will vof the subscriberforenabling and disabling the talkingcircuit and enabling and disabling theregister; additional means under the con- J. trol of the central: station operator; forv enabling said talking circuit for-special calls,

means I for signaling the central station. operator independently of f closure ofuthe talking circuit and hence lwithout unlocking the .l llock-out device, whereupon the central station operator can permit special oremergency callssuch as calls for nformation, fire alarms, and the like. lnthls system the circuit of the register actuatlng dev ce is 'iclosed only when the lookout device lS un- 40 locked and the talking circuit enabled by the subscriber, wherebythe central station operator cannot falsely register a call against any subscriber, and yet the subscriher cannot prevent'ithe operator from making proper' registry of calls for he neoessarilyenables the register jWhBIl; he enablesthe talking circult. The subscr ber or any one else cannot converse otherwise fexcept through special perm ssion ofjthe centralstation operatoras aforesaid. "Thereby the use off-thephone by unauthorized persons forunauthorized purposes i'shbsol'utely prevented; and] one of the great troubles of subseriberseliminated. i

The present systemaccomplishes the same results inia more efiicient and reliable manner, and by use of simplified apparatus. The improvements have particularly to do Withthe elimination of the mechanical complications of, the formersystem, and the substitution; therefor of electrical andelectromagnetic means. In addition to performing alltheafunctions of themechanicalparts, the electrical and electromagnetic means' perform other functions such for instanceas shutting ringing current out of the receiver and; the prevention of false registration of aWcall-in casethe receiver is removed from itshook during the, period ringing current is applied to the line by the central station operator to call the subscriber.

In the accompanying drawings I show diagrammatically the best embodiments of myinventionnow known to me, but it is to be understood at the outsetythat my-inventionis capable of otheruembodiments by those skilled inv the art without departing in anyvvise from its generic spirit.

The various elements of-the system are characterized as follows, theparts being identified by the reference letters by which they are designated in the drawings.

(L-1 L) The subscribers lines.

. (T)*The substation transmitter.

(1 The-primary of theinduction coil whichis connected in "series with the trans,- mitter T across the lines LL.

(-R) The substation receiver.

S) The secondary of the induction coil connected in series with the receiver R and across the lines L+L.

The substation ringer.

(A):The register, which may be of the Veeder or any other desired type.

(-B-B) The actuating magnets of the register. y

(0) I The lever through which the register A is actuated from the magnets B-B.

(D) Theupper end of lever C which is movable longitudinally thereof to connect and disconnect the same with the'register through the pin and slot connection shown,

the" pin being on the end of 'the'usual actu (F) key controlled lock by means of- Which thelocking button E can be locked in depressed or register disabling position. (H) A part connected with the locking button E to be reciprocated thereby. (I) A group of contacts operated by the P (JJ) A pair of relays controlling the connections of the register actuating magnets B'-B and the substation receiver R.

(K) 'A part connected with operating lever for movement thereby.

thereby. I

(N) The emergency call key or button.

group of contacts controlled (0) A pair of contacts controlled thereby.

'- The circuit connections between the various elements of the apparatus of the system are fully understood from a description of the operation of the system. The operation is as. follows:

I As illustrated, the parts are in the relamary tion. which they occupy when thesubscriber has unlocked his phone for calls. taking the receiver R from its hook he closes the talking circuit as follows: line L, pri;

P, conductor 10, receiver hook contacts 11 and 12 which are now closed, trans mitter T, conductor 13, contacts let-15 of group Iassooiated with looking button E, and conductor 16 to line L. This 'resultsin indicating acallat the central station. The

central station operator in answering it, having ascertained that the called line is idle, effects the connection and impresses ringing currentupon the called line. Ringing current upon the called line operates the usual substation. ringer G. Ringing current then applied to the calling-line however traverses the following path and results in the operation of the register A to register a call. Commencing at line L, ringing current traverses primary P, conductor 10, now closed contactsll, 17 of the receiver hook, over conductor 19, through winding of relay J ,oonductor 21,1 condenser 22, and conductor 23't0 line L. Relay J opens the circuit of receiver R at its normally closed contacts 24: and closes the circuit of the register actuating magnet B at its normally open contact 25 as follows; line L, primary" P,'eonductor.10, branch conductor 26, conther effect. upon the register, and it is i111.

possible for the operator to register more Upon I v the same. The subscriber having concluded his conversation he hangs up his receiver whereupon he closes a restoring ircuit for the restoring magnet B of the register lever 0 as follows; line L, primary P, conductor 10, conductor 30, normally closed contacts 31, conductor 32, magnet B, conductor 33, contacts 341 of group M operated to closed position by the 'prior movement of lever O, conductor 35 and line L. Lever O is thereby returnedto its normal position, without in this case operating the register since the register is operable on the forward movement of the lever-only.

Havingcompleted the calls he desired to make, by simply depressing the lock-out button E, the subscriber disables his telephone set for use by any one else except for special or emergency calls. This is because upon depression the button E is locked in depressed position by the spring lock F, and in-its depressed position moves the part H to normally open the talking circuit previously traced at contacts 14 and 15. Vvhen contact lileaves contact 15 however, it makes contact witha thirdcontact 36 ofgroup I which partially closes a shunt around the now opencontactslat and 15 by way of conductor- 87 and normally open contacts 38 oft-he group .M controlled by the register actuating magnet B. In its depressed. position the button E uncouples the register A from the actuating lever G whereby calls cannot be registered against him by unauthorized persons attempting to use the phone, or by the central station operator. The regis ter A cannot be operated by any one until the key to lock F has been applied to release the button E This key is in the possession of the subscriber.

-However in case of emergency, any one having accessto the phone may call the central station operator by depressing the'special call button N once or several times. Through. contacts 0 this closes primary winding P across lines LL through the resistance of any suitable value preferably about 500 ohms. The central station 0per ator receives a call, and distinguishing it from the usual call either by its intermittentcharacter (impressed by pressing the button N intermittently) or by the fact that there is no answer when she listens in, ap-

plies ringing current to the line whereupon registeractuating magnet B is actuated and the talking circuit closed at contacts 38. The

party making the special call, can then make,

his wants known to. the operator and if the call lsone authorized, such. as a oolice, fire call or' the like, the operator wil give the desired connection. Otherwise she will not.

for the reason that it is impossible for her toeffect proper registry of ,the call at the subscribers station, register A 'beinguncoupled from its actuating magnet'as aforesaid. At the conclusion of the call, the register actuating lever C is restored to normal as before over the circuit closed by the hook contacts 31.

In order to prevent the energization of magnet B should the subscriber when called lift his receiver during the application ofringing current to his line the relay J is made to lock itself on ringing current supplied through the normally closed contact 31 of the switch-hook. The initial energizing circuit of relay J may be traced as follows: Line L, P, 10, 30, 31, 32, J, 22, 23 and back over line L. The relay J upon energization then opens the circuit of magnet B at con tact 27 and locks itself through its normally open contact in the following circuit: Line L, P, 10, 26, normally open contact of J, J, 22, 23 and back over line L;

It is to be noted that in cases where the capacity of the ringing generator is low, the margin of difference between the branch circuits through the transmitter and relay J or J may be increased by placing a retardation coil bridged by a condenser in series with the transmitter, the said coil and condenser being suitably proportioned or turned to offer very little impedance to the high frequency pulsations produced by the transmitter while offering high impedance to the low frequency ringing current.

Having thus" described my invention what I claim is:

1. In a telephone exchange system having a central office containing line terminals and connective apparatus therefor, with operators listening and ringing means, a substation equipment comprising the following instrumentalities: a ringer and condenser, a receiver and a switch hook adapted to connect the receiver to line, a transmitter adapted to be energized with current supplied from the central station, means for disabling the transmitter circuit at the will of the subscriber, means for enabling transmitter use in emergency calls at the will of the operator at the central station, and means responsive to a normal call by ringing current to prevent operation of said enabling device when the call is answered.

2. In a telephone exchange system having a central office containing line terminals and connective apparatus therefor, with operators listening and ringing means, a substation equipment comprising the following in strumentalities: a ringer and condenser, a receiver and a switch hook adapted to connect the receiver to line, a transmitter a central office containing line terminals and connective apparatus therefor, with operators listening and ringing means, a substation equipment comprising the following instrumentalities: a ringer and condenser, a receiver and a switch hook adapted to connect the receiver to line, a transmitter adapted to be energized with current supplied from the central station, means for disabling the transmitter circuit at the will of the subscriber, means for enabling transmitter use in emergency calls at the will of the operator at the central station, a call meter, means operable by said enabling means to actuate said call meter for each outgoing call, and a relay responsive to in coming call current .at the substation, adapted to disablesaid enabling means as long as said call current is being received.

4. In a telephone exchange system having a centraloflice containing line terminals and connective apparatus therefor, with operators listening and ringing means, a substation equipment comprising the following instrumentalities: a ringer and condenser, a

receiver and a switch hook adapted to c0nnect the receiver to line, a transmitter adapted to be energized with current supplied from the central station, means for disabling the transmitter circuit at the will of the subscriber, means for enabling transmitter use in emergency calls at the will of the operator at the central station, a call meter, means operable by said enabling means to actuate said call meter for each outgoing call, and a pair of controlling relays adapted to cut ofi ringing current from the substation receiver, and also to disable the enabling device and prevent operation of the meter if the call is answered while the ringing current is still being received.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES V. RICHEY. Witnesses:

H. H. LowENsTErN, JAMES H. MARR.

copies of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner at Watenta,

Washington, D. 0. 

